SAM #FA221721389XX

Call for Participation – ETHEREAL FORGE Advanced Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) Capability Evaluation

This opportunity is a call for participation in ETHEREAL FORGE, a no-cost evaluation campaign led by the Department of the Air Force / USSTRATCOM's Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center (JEC). - Solicits innovative Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) solutions, including: - AI/ML-enabled cognitive EW - Distributed effects - Advanced RF hardware - EO/IR and Directed Energy technologies - Threat resilience capabilities - Solutions must: - Meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-7 - Comply with SOSA and AMS-GRA open standards - Possess Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) handling capabilities - Evaluation campaign spans six months, progressing through six phases: - Virtual onboarding - Hardware-in-the-loop verification - Simulated laboratory testing - Anechoic chamber testing - Operational field assessments - Technology readiness assessment - No specific products, part numbers, or quantities listed; open to OEMs and vendors with modular, MOSA-conformant EW solutions - Participation supports rapid acquisition, integration, and fielding of advanced EW capabilities

Description

Overall objective:  Test and evaluate Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-conformant, modular, advanced Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) capabilities against realistic threats in a representative environment to assess capability utility, inform the development and acquisitions processes, and gain insight to support rapid, iterative fielding of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) capabilities.  The objective is to be a forcing function to drive towards the next generation of modular, rapidly upgradeable EMSO systems that will sense the electromagnetic environment, make sense of it, maneuver within it, and engage with precision at the speed of light.

Background:  Many promising EW capabilities are being developed based on modular hardware- and software-centric principles linked to mature open standards, such as SOSA, CMOSS, FACE, VITA, and/or AMS-GRA.  These capabilities require demonstration in a representative environment before being accepted by program offices for final integration.  This event will leverage lessons learned from multiple pathfinding events, experiments, and exercises over the past six years. 

Expected outcomes:

Technology Readiness Assessments of the suitability for further integration and fielding of candidate capabilities (specifically software applications and SOSA hardware components) Key data to support future budgeting cycles and acquisition processes Data-centric assessments to inform mission- and campaign-level simulations, directly supporting long-term planning and acquisitions cycles Prototype infrastructure and process to accelerate test and evaluation of modular hardware components and software-defined capabilities

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